Ronerone From Jordan, joined Aug 2004, 1424 posts, RR: 55 Posted (4 years 3 weeks 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Etihad Airways: Currently under the spotlight in the eyes of many, Etihad has suffered a lot of criticism by the conscious traveler in the past year. Perhaps due to unfriendly crew, bland service, or even worse, you may have been one of the victims stranded at the terminal during the fogs at AUH, surely, Etihad had no excuse for any of that. However, for an airline that now flies to 45 destinations spanning 4 continents in a mere 4 years, Etihad has come a long way that even the success of Emirates fails to boast such an achievement. Perhaps they are expanding too fast to stop for a moment and look back at what they’ve done, but who am I to judge. As far as I’m concerned, have they measured up to be the airline that can change the way I see the world? They certainly haven’t last time, but I did not give up.
Suvarnabhumi: An icon of an airport that has gone through hell and back several times over before its opening. The airport is already saturated with history so rich, when it is only still celebrating its one year anniversary all over the terminal. With plans to construct this airport dating back to the 1970’s, Suvarnabhumi was central to political, financial, and even spiritual issues beyond one’s belief. From budget overruns, corruption scandals and construction flaws to ghostly sightings and spiritual haunting, this airport was so difficult to manage that it had to go through more than one operator to reach to where it is now. Currently a hub for one of the world’s top airlines, and a focus for many others, Suvarnabhumi is leading the way into the future of airports that only its dark past was the key to achieve. So what’s the hype? After all, it is “The Golden Land”.
This combination was no doubt, inevitable! Not to forget Bangkok either. Well, we all know what happens in the “Sin City” anyways right? …
Welcome to my 4th Trip Report.
This TR is on my Etihad Airways flights from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok and back in Coral Economy, a few sights in Bangkok, and a thorough picture review of Suvarnabhumi’s terminal. This report contains lots of pictures, and is quite long. I hope you enjoy it.
I was supposed to do this trip in October but I accidentally (and stupidly) washed my passport after I returned from Hong Kong, which caused quite the delay. As that mess cleared up, I had a few days off from work in December, so I thought I’d give it another shot and visit Bangkok for the first time.
In choosing the most ideal way to get to BKK, my selection pool was quite straight forward: Oneworld or Etihad, as you can see from my trip-reporting history. My first attempt to search for flights was on the Internet, and as always, was with Cathay Pacific (CX 750/751 DXB-BOM-BKK and continues to HKG). However, Cathay failed to please price-wise as the fare was quite high (Are CX fares quite expensive or is it just me?). Etihad on the other hand, offered a cheaper fare, with the more convenient option of avoiding the long drive to DXB.
Keeping EY in mind, I went to my travel agent to book my ticket and I discovered that through the agency, CX offered a KILLER deal to Bangkok that no one could resist. However I figured that I would stick with Etihad since I flew Cathay Pacific back in September. So Etihad it was. This time around however, the attempt to book a single seat in Pearl Business was impossible as it was high travel season and nothing was available. Besides, EY’s double daily service to BKK is quite popular, especially in Pearl Business Class where seats are almost always sold out. So I went ahead with Coral Economy.
Some milestones that I have achieved after this trip are as follows:
1) My first time on an Etihad flight that is longer than three and a half hours.
2) My first time on the Boeing 777-300ER.
3) My first time to Bangkok.
Tuesday December 18th, 2007
I woke up in the middle of the night at 5:40am for some strange reason, and realized that I could check-in for my flight online. Yes, Etihad has finally introduced online check-in, which I found out about a month prior. Web Check-In, as EY terms it, opens up 20 hours prior to scheduled departure time.
Etihad’s online check-in interface:
Etihad’s online check-in was quite straight forward, user-friendly, and a great addition to the experience. They definitely scored a plus on this one. I went ahead with the usual formalities associated with such a feature, and selected 30K so as to be right by the wing so I could for once, get to see the beautiful raked wingtips of the 77W. I printed my boarding pass and was all set to travel.
By that time, I was coming down with a really bad cold. It was certainly not the time for this, so I went back to bed hoping that some miracle would make it go away. However, by late morning I went to the doctor, who gave me some great meds to ease my way through the flight.
Throughout the rest of the day I spent the time packing and just preparing for my flight and by 6:30pm I was ready for my 10:40pm flight. I sat with my mother till about 7:40pm, when I bid my goodbyes and proceeded with my luggage outside to fetch a taxi.
I was quite worried that my flight would be delayed for some technical issue. The reason for this is because Etihad only has 5 B77W’s that are barely on the ground for more than an hour during turnarounds. So if an aircraft goes tech, a replacement will be quite impossible to come by, especially if the flight is full. However, all I could do was hope for the best. In hopes of getting an idea of the situation tonight, my ‘insider source’ informed me that my aircraft was A6-ETA which was to arrive from DMM for a 1.5hr turnaround at AUH, before heading out to BKK. I was also informed that the entire crew on my flight have yet to complete 6 months at Etihad. It should be quite an interesting flight I thought to myself.
By 8:05pm I had arrived AUH and was dropped off by Departure gates 2/3/4. Luckily, I was traveling right before the peak time at AUH so the terminal wasn’t overly crowded, however it was on its way there. Before going in, I stopped to smoke a cigarette.
AUH passenger drop off area:
I went through security, and then ran straight for the FIDS to check on my flight. Not only was it on time, but Etihad’s entire network also seemed stable tonight. The FIDS also showed that my flight was open for check-in, so I proceeded to my respective counters. Ground handling for all airlines at AUH, as you may know, is done by ADAS. Etihad on the other hand is looking into doing their own ground handling (and at one point, catering as well) in the future. While that is a good idea from a service point of view, I think Etihad should stay away from this for now.
Check-In Counters for my flight:
By 8:15pm I was at the check-in counter. I handed my ticket, passport, and Etihad Guest card to a Filipino male ADAS agent, who greeted me very politely and with a smile. As he processed my information into the system, I placed my suitcase on the belt. He also informed me that AUH had enforced new LAG rules, and that if I had any liquids on me, I had to place all containers in a transparent plastic bag before the security check. Minutes later, he handed back my documents, and my printed boarding card, and wished a pleasant flight. I watched my suitcase till it disappeared behind the counter and then headed towards immigration. All in all check-in barely took 5 minutes.
Check-In Area:
My Boarding Pass:
I was excited about immigration this time around, because I had subscribed to the UAE-Gate service. This service allows you to go through immigration to and from any airport in the UAE, by using a card that stores all your information, including your fingerprints. This is done by going through dedicated UAE-Gate self-service kiosks by using your card and fingerprint. This process took less than 2 minutes and was absolutely fantastic.
After immigration, I proceeded to do a walk-around the terminal and duty free area to check out the action. The situation seemed under control and the terminal not overly crowded either.
Duty-Free:
Terminal area:
Free Internet Kiosks (Thanks to Changi Airports International):
FIDS:
My flight was to board from Gate 5, so I went to the transfer desk to ask about the gate that the DMM flight would arrive into, so as to be able to get the aircraft registration. Surprisingly, the DMM flight is scheduled to arrive at 1am the following day from some other gate. So my so-called ‘insider source’ wasn’t much of a source really.
Gate Information:
So I decided to just wait by the gate until I see the aircraft pull in. By 9pm, an announcement was made that an EY flight had just landed from CGK. That had to be my plane, I thought to myself, as it was also a B77W. Sure enough, an angry looking B77W pulled into Gate 5. It was in fact A6-ETE, the newest B77W at Etihad.
I felt quite hungry by this time, so I went downstairs to the cafeteria to grab a quick bite to eat. I had a typical airport-cafetria-type sandwich and a soda, then looked around the duty to free for a little while before deciding to head back up to my gate.
When I reached my gate, a queue had started to form by the security check. I went to the police officer in charge and asked him for a plastic bag to place my liquids in. He gave me the strangest look and asked what the reason for that was. I explained to him what I was told at check-in, and he just cut me off and ordered me to just stand in line and practically forget about it. So much for the LAG’s! At 9:30PM, a preliminary announcement was made for my flight.
At around 9:45PM I was through with the annoying security check and was inside the holding area. I managed to see the last pair of my crew board the flight. I also noticed that the holding area was absolutely crowded. Apart from our 95% full flight, there was another EY A332 bound for BAH at the adjacent gate.
Holding Area:
Last Call to BAH:
As the holding area almost became unbearably crowded, boarding commenced at around 10:15PM. No announcement was made whatsoever, let alone boarding by seat numbers. We were just ushered to board after the agents opened the doors. Everyone suddenly got up and ran to form a line as the agents yelled at us to “form 2 lines please.”
Boarding:
As I reached door 2L I was greeted by a Tamer, the Cabin Manager for tonight, and another stunning female Indian cabin crew. I was once told that during boarding of an EY flight, three crew members must be present at the door to greet the passengers in Arabic, English, and Tagalog. As I am not sure if this is enforced on other flights, it seemed to be in tact on tonight’s flight to BKK. I handed my boarding pass to the Indian crew, and she took a glance at it and handed it right back to me.
“Welcome on board sir, your seat is straight ahead through the galley, right past this gentleman over there, and to the right”
“Thank you”
“Enjoy your flight”
By 10:25PM I was on board.
CONTINUED BELOW
A Stop Away From One-Stop, Is Non-Stop : Airbus A340-500
1 Ronerone: Flight Information Airline: Etihad Airways Flight No.: EY 402 Routing: Abu Dhabi - Bangkok Scheduled Departure Time: 10:40PM Actual Departure Time: 10
2 Ronerone: An interesting observation that I saw for the first time while flying, was that since the B77W had three sections of Coral Economy each of which had t
3 Ronerone: Hotel Choosing a hotel in Bangkok was a much easier task for me than it was for Hong Kong. Without a doubt, a stay at the Dusit Thani was an absolute
4 Ronerone: The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Keo (a definite must in BKK): The Emerald Bhudda: That day, after my visit to the Grand Palace, I had planned to go acro
5 Ronerone: I allocated a full day to explore the landside area of this airport. Upon doing so is when this airport began to grow on me. The huge terminal buildi
6 Ronerone: Thai Air Asia, Taking Over Suvarnabhumi: View from the top: Passengers Waiting: Lufthansa to KUL: TG Domestic Check-In: TG Premium Check-In Facility (
7 Ronerone: Singapore Airlines, All Flights Check-In: SWISS, To Singapore: Escalators: Cathay Pacific Airport Office: One level below Check-In: UL Cabin Crew: Sho
8 Ronerone: Monday December 24th, 2007 Today was my travel day, and also my last day in Bangkok. I was dreading the fact that my holiday was coming to an end, ev
9 Ronerone: There was no line for immigration so the whole process was hassle-free. By around 7:00PM I was airside. I proceeded to walk around the terminal and ch
10 Ronerone: Flight No.: EY 401 Routing: Bangkok – Abu Dhabi Scheduled Departure Time: 8:10PM Actual Departure Time: 08:25PM (Pushback) Scheduled Arrival Time: 1
11 Ronerone: As we reached cruising altitude, the fasten seatbelt sign was switched off and the cabin crew got up to prepare for the service. Headsets, amenity kit
12 Powercube: Wow, that is a fantastic TR! Those cabin photos are gorgeous. What kind of camera were you using? I am rather jealous of your experience on a medium h
13 Triple7man: The only thing I can say about a very excellent and thorough TR is you made me feel like I was right there. I will enjoy coming back to this TR many t
14 UA777322: Wow, The best TR I've read or seen thus far! Nice job
15 Stylo777: wooow, this made my weekend! great work mate! your pictures are fabulous!
16 Mh148: Thx for the pics and the report. Amazing trip....
17 Munichpictures: A very excellent trip report. Great pics. I enjoyed it.
18 Ardian: Thanks for the tripreport! You sure put a lot of effort in it and that shows. The pictures of Suvarnabhumi and Bangkok are amazing!
19 MarioSPlane: Amazing report, congratulations ! Gotta love those outfits..........
20 Shamrock350: Excellent report, the pictures are just great! Suvarnabhumi is a very impressive airport, I'd love to see it in person one day. This is one of the bes
21 Ag92: As others have said, excellent trip report Thanks for sharing Ag92
22 Allrite: Fantastic and detailed trip report! Your Bangkok photos were especially useful as I am going there next month for the first time (though I already kno
23 UK_Dispatcher: Thanks very much for an excellent and very detailed report. I very much enjoyed reading it and looking at the many photos. Why do you think they shoul
JetSetter629 From United States of America, joined Nov 2007, 303 posts, RR: 0 Reply 26, posted (4 years 3 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
AWESOME report! I really felt like I was along on the trip with you!
Buck3y3nut From United States of America, joined Jul 2006, 828 posts, RR: 0 Reply 27, posted (4 years 3 weeks 4 days ago) and read 32767 times:
Amazing trip report. Great details and Bangkok is truly beautiful. Really enjoyed the pictures and the report.
thank you very much for writing this report and sharing it with us
I was using a mix between your average digi cam and a DSLR, depending on when i needed to be discreet, and when i needed not to be. As for the cabin pictures, i really think its the rather versatile cabin ambience of EY's Coral Economy Class that makes them look good, nothing more.
Quoting Powercube (Reply 12): Another question were you flying on Christmas eve/day? The little card that EY handed out was a great touch.
I was flying on Christmas Eve. I also thought that was a very nice touch as well.
Quoting Stylo777 (Reply 15): wooow, this made my weekend! great work mate! your pictures are fabulous!
Thanks Stylo777, I am glad you enjoyed it! Hope to see more of yours soon
Quoting Allrite (Reply 22): though I already know about the "closed sight" and tuk-tuk shopping trip scams
Yes! never ever forget this, and keep in mind that they will always make it seem like you are the one who initiated the conversation in the first place hehe
Quoting UK_Dispatcher (Reply 23): Thanks very much for an excellent and very detailed report. I very much enjoyed reading it and looking at the many photos
Thanks a lot for reading. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Quoting UK_Dispatcher (Reply 23): Why do you think they should stay away from self-handling?
EY should only stay away from it for the time being i think. However, this will require a rather lengthy conversation, or perhaps a debate, that will be too long for here
Any ideas what is the plan for T3 as far as ground handling is concerned?
Yes, i was rather annoyed at that, as a lot of time and effort was spent trying to implement these LAG rules, and evidently, it all went to waste.
Quoting UK_Dispatcher (Reply 23): Lufthansa are Etihad's handling agent in BKK. The staff who check you in are LH staff in EY uniform.
What about at JFK? who handles them? is it Swissport?
Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 24): Great report and photo's, especially the photo's!
Thanks! I am glad you enjoyed it.
Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 24): I think EY's main concern, at least to me, are the crew's, so many new ones, no long service CSD's who know how things shoud be done and how quickly.
I agree. A lot of crew are leaving EY, and a lot of new ones are coming in. The experience level i believe is still on the low side.
ThaiA345 From Indonesia, joined Oct 2006, 761 posts, RR: 19 Reply 32, posted (4 years 3 weeks 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Hi Roni!
Great to see that you thoroughly enjoyed your trip to BKK! I was actually in BKK for 1 night on 21 Dec. If I knew you were also in BKK, I would've met up!
Anyways cheers again and I will try to post my TR asap!
SR 103 From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1640 posts, RR: 50 Reply 33, posted (4 years 3 weeks 22 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Roni, this was simply amazing. Great report with some amazing pictures to go with it.
Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): Etihad on the other hand is looking into doing their own ground handling (and at one point, catering as well) in the future. While that is a good idea from a service point of view, I think Etihad should stay away from this for now.
They have to learn sooner or later. Better to start early and make mistakes now than mess up later.
Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): I fell in love with the B77W instantly. Truly a GREAT plane!
Here I thought you and I were the last Airbus fans out there.
Quoting Ronerone (Reply 1): I was so surprised to notice that the 77W was absolutely quiet, and mind you, I was seated right by the engine. I noticed a huge difference between this plane and the much noiser 772 (ER and non-ER versions).
When I flew the 77W on AF, I sat right in front of the engine and it was rather noisy during take off. Of course it was no match for my fully fueled JFK bound KE 772 a few weeks later. I think the 77W can be rather quiet in certain parts of the cabin while noisy in others.
Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): One thing I hated about the IFE was the fact that you had to go through Etihad's TV commercial each and every time you selected to watch anything.
You know, I don't mind that Etihad commercial all that much, must be the marketing classes I have taken. However Korean Air did the same thing last year when I flew them. To add insult to injury, it was an ad showing their brand new First Class product! Thus all of us not in First Class had to endure watching some guy stretch his legs in a full flat suite.
Quoting Ronerone (Reply 2): I am hoping this is a TG A345, but I can't tell, would be grateful if someone could assist:
Yes, it definately is!
Quoting Ronerone (Reply 3): Furthermore, out of all the hotels I have stayed in, I believe Dusit offers the best in hospitality, warmth, and comfort.
Have you ever tried a Shangri-La hotel? They are my absolute all time favorite hotel chain. However I can imagine they would be a bit more expensive than Dusit.
Quoting Ronerone (Reply 29): What about at JFK? who handles them? is it Swissport?
If memory serves me right, it is Swissport.
Quoting Ronerone (Reply 11): In conclusion, I have no major fault to report about Etihad Airways. In fact, I was quite pleased with their service.
Good to hear some positive comments about Etihad. I am sure they will get their act together sooner than later, they certainly have the foundations for it.
Quoting Ronerone (Reply 11): Perhaps I could say that they did change the way I see the world, as I am more confident to fly Etihad for medium/long haul flights that Oneworld may not be an option for.
While Etihad did "change the way I see the world," another Middle Eastern airline has de-throned them off my favorite Middle Eastern airline category. I found a number of similarities between Etihad's First Class product to this airlines Business Class product!
Once again, fantastic trip report. Got any plans to head anywhere else soon?
Ronerone From Jordan, joined Aug 2004, 1424 posts, RR: 55 Reply 34, posted (4 years 2 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Thank you all for your kind comments. Always appreciated!
Quoting SR 103 (Reply 33): Roni, this was simply amazing.
Mr. Anosh!
Thanks for taking the time to read it and comment. Glad you enjoyed it!
Quoting SR 103 (Reply 33): Here I thought you and I were the last Airbus fans out there.
Believe me, we are ... You know me, wherever the A345 goes, i follow
Quoting SR 103 (Reply 33): I think the 77W can be rather quiet in certain parts of the cabin while noisy in others.
Definitely agree! My experience lead me to believe the same.
Quoting SR 103 (Reply 33): Have you ever tried a Shangri-La hotel? They are my absolute all time favorite hotel chain.
I love Shangri-La and even more, I love their Shang Palace chain of restaurants.
Quoting SR 103 (Reply 33): another Middle Eastern airline has de-throned them off my favorite Middle Eastern airline category.
Too bad that EY has been dethroned from your top mideast category, however im also quite excited about your upcoming TR
Quoting SR 103 (Reply 33): Got any plans to head anywhere else soon?
I will be flying to AMM for a night in 2 weeks time. This will be a mileage run on RJ in Crown Class. Should be very interesting considering the not-so rave reviews RJ has been getting lately.
Hope ERAU is treating you well!
Regards,
Roni
A Stop Away From One-Stop, Is Non-Stop : Airbus A340-500
Airbus767 From United States of America, joined Aug 2007, 68 posts, RR: 0 Reply 37, posted (4 years 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
That's one amazing trip report!!! I loved it, and the pictures too, they were really amazing! The really carried me through the whole amazing trip, and worth the loading time wait! Spectacular!
LAN ~ United Airlines ~ Aerolineas Argentinas ~ Pluna ~ Varig ~ American Airlines
Karan69 From India, joined Oct 2004, 2706 posts, RR: 22 Reply 38, posted (4 years 2 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Roni, this was simply amazing. Great report keep up the good work mate, Altough thanks to the volume of pics and the slower internet speeds here it took 30 mins to load--but worth it in the end
I have been to BKK twice before and the way you presented your report makes me wanna go there again.
Also nice of you to share your Suvarnabhumi tour photos with us, how did you manage to get inside the airport despite it not being your flying day?? or were you allowed because you are airport staff as well.
Aleksandar From Serbia, joined Jul 2000, 3158 posts, RR: 39 Reply 39, posted (4 years 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Roni,
all I can say for this TR is WOOOW, and I mean it. It is great. I enjoyed reports from both flights and from Bangkok. As for the new airport, naturally, I still haven't seen it, but from the photos not only here, but from other TRs, it doesn't impress me much. In fact, it looks too cold.
Now, I hope you'll meet that Russian FA at your airport soon
Oh, not to forget, what happened with plane models?
Quoting Aleksandar (Reply 39): all I can say for this TR is WOOOW, and I mean it.
Mr. Aleksandar,
Good to hear from you again. Thanks for reading and i am glad that you enjoyed it.
Quoting Aleksandar (Reply 39): but from the photos not only here, but from other TRs, it doesn't impress me much. In fact, it looks too cold.
The temperature for the most part was regulated, although there are certain areas that were freezing cold, and others that were boiling hot. Maybe you'll have to get used to it first? I didn't like it at first impression, but it grew on me.
Quoting Aleksandar (Reply 39): Now, I hope you'll meet that Russian FA at your airport soon
umm .. Yes .. i did actually, but not at the airport
Quoting Aleksandar (Reply 39): Oh, not to forget, what happened with plane models?
Unfortunately, they did not have the 77W model on my inbound flight. Besides, i was not impressed with the quality of the models that they sold onboard. So i have one EY 77W still on my shopping list
Regards,
Roni
A Stop Away From One-Stop, Is Non-Stop : Airbus A340-500
Aleksandar From Serbia, joined Jul 2000, 3158 posts, RR: 39 Reply 41, posted (4 years 2 weeks 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Quoting Ronerone (Reply 40): The temperature for the most part was regulated, although there are certain areas that were freezing cold, and others that were boiling hot. Maybe you'll have to get used to it first? I didn't like it at first impression, but it grew on me.
Actually, I wanted to say that the airport looks a bit sterile and cold. Maybe it is just because I love old-fashioned building with all their problems
Quoting Ronerone (Reply 40): umm .. Yes .. i did actually, but not at the airport
Even better, my friend. Even better
Quoting Ronerone (Reply 40): So i have one EY 77W still on my shopping list
LH423 From Canada, joined Jul 1999, 6501 posts, RR: 59 Reply 42, posted (4 years 2 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Normally I don't write in trip report threads but I had to congratulate you on putting together one of the most detailed and finest trip reports I've ever read.
Looking forward to more like this in the future (though no pressure ).
LH423
« On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux » Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Airpearl From Malaysia, joined May 2001, 912 posts, RR: 39 Reply 44, posted (4 years 1 week 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Hey Roni
Absolutely F Class report... thanks for sharing! Happy to see you got a couple of decent flights aboard EY... I can't wait to try them again - and glad to see your pics of Bangkok too. I have been based in Thailand for the past 2 years now, sorry to have missed you here.
Ronerone From Jordan, joined Aug 2004, 1424 posts, RR: 55 Reply 45, posted (4 years 1 week 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Quoting Karan69 (Reply 43): Got to do some flying before i can write one up my friend
You should come to UAE. now with CX going daily BOM-DXB soon, you now have so many flights/airlines to choose from
Quoting Karan69 (Reply 43): were there any suspicious eyes that were looking at you especially since you were clicking pics.
Surprisingly, not a single suspicious eye! .. Even at one point, i was taking a picture while a security guard happened to be next to me. So out of courtesy, i asked him if it's ok, and he said it wasnt a problem at all. In fact he seemed to found strange that i asked ... Very unlike here!
Regards,
Roni
A Stop Away From One-Stop, Is Non-Stop : Airbus A340-500
Choosing a hotel in Bangkok was a much easier task for me than it was for Hong Kong. Without a doubt, a stay at the Dusit Thani was an absolute must. Being a Dusit Gold member, and a loyal customer at Dusit Dubai, there was no way I was to visit Thailand, without staying at this hotel. Furthermore, out of all the hotels I have stayed in, I believe Dusit offers the best in hospitality, warmth, and comfort. You are greeted with smiles by ALL staff, everywhere, anywhere, and anytime; truly, the best hotel out there in my opinion.
Great TR. My first trip to BKK in 1979 I stayed in the exact same hotel! Brings back a lot of memories.
RacingGreen07 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 47, posted (4 years 1 week 22 hours ago) and read 32767 times:
Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): Many seem to find this feature on Arab airlines to be weird, not sure why:
This feature is there because it shows which way the Qiblah is (we pray in the direction of the Qiblah). Therefore if a muslim wishes to pray whilst on the aircraft he can, because with that feature he can pin point the direction of the Qiblah.
When I flew Saudia Arabian they sectioned off some of the back of the aircraft so people could pray.
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Definitely agree! My experience lead me to believe the same. 
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That's one amazing trip report!!! I loved it, and the pictures too, they were really amazing! The really carried me through the whole amazing trip, and worth the loading time wait! Spectacular!
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